Firearm holster

ABSTRACT

A firearm holster includes a plate that is folded to form a cavity. The cavity is defined by a first sidewall, a trigger sidewall adjacent to the first sidewall, a second sidewall adjacent to the trigger sidewall, a barrel sidewall adjacent to both the first and second sidewalls, and a muzzle end wall. The muzzle end wall is adjacent to the first sidewall, the trigger sidewall, the second sidewall and the barrel sidewall. The firearm holster also includes a support wrap that at least partially surrounds the cavity and is fused to one or more of the first sidewall, the barrel sidewall, and the second sidewall.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/537,177, filed on Aug. 9, 2019, entitled “Firearm Holster;”which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/484,579,filed on Apr. 11, 2017, and entitled “Firearm Holster of BallisticMaterial,” which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,393,478 on Aug. 27, 2019;and which in turn claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 62/390,787, filed on Apr. 11, 2016, entitled “Firearm Holsterof Solid Ballistic Material that Retains Bullets from UnintentionalDischarges.” The entire contents of all these applications areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to firearm holsters and morespecifically it relates to a firearm holster of solid (i.e. withoutbreaks or gaps) ballistic material that retains or deflects bullets whena firearm is discharged into the holster.

Currently, firearm users who carry a firearm on their person in aconcealed or non-concealed manner have a number of choices forholstering and carrying their weapon. These options can be made of hardor soft materials. The holster can be designed to be worn outside orinside of the pants. The holster can also be attached to many locationson a user's body using a carrying device, including, for example, abelt, waistband, a vest, chest rig, ankle holster or a shoulder harness.In addition, holsters are often attached to surfaces in locations otherthan on a user's body, such as in a vehicle or on furniture like a desk,shelf, bed, counter or table using a mount or other carrying device.

In the course of inserting or withdrawing the firearm from the holster,it is possible to unintentionally actuate the firearm trigger either bythe user or by a foreign object. This actuation of the trigger createsan unintentional discharge of the weapon. In addition, there aresituations where someone other than the user may attempt to dischargethe firearm through the holster during a struggle. Since the holster isattached to the user's body, this event may cause injury or death to thefirearm user or create collateral damage to other people or objects. Tominimize this type of occurrence, many firearms are designed with safetymechanisms that prohibit the weapon from being discharged, even if thetrigger is pulled. However, the use of a safety mechanism may impair theuser's ability to operate the firearm so the user may choose not toengage the mechanism or disengage it during use. Other firearms inregular use do not even contain such safety mechanisms or have a safetythat can be easily actuated by a foreign object. For these reasons andothers, firearm discharge inside a holster is a serious problem forusers.

One solution to this problem is to purchase a soft firearm holster witha ballistic material insert at the bottom. One problem with thissolution is that the ballistic material is limited to the bottom of theholster and is not present in the entire holster. Thus, the dischargedbullet will only be stopped if the firearm is pointed directly at theinsert at time of unintentional discharge. This may not be effective,however, since most unintentional discharges occur during the insertionor withdrawal of the firearm from the holster during which time thefirearm moves through a range of positions relative to the holster andwon't always be aimed directly at the bottom of the holster. Anotherproblem with this solution is that soft ballistic material isconstructed using seams which do not have the same ballistic propertiesas the non-seamed surfaces. It is possible for the discharged bullet topenetrate the holster if it is struck in one of these seams. Inaddition, soft ballistic material is prone to wear over time that candegrade its ballistic properties, it is bulky and unpractical forserious use because it may impede or come out of the holster when thefirearm is drawn, particularly during quick fast and multiple draws andre-holstering such as occur when a firearm user is in training.

Thus, a need exists for a firearm holster that incorporates ballisticmaterial, is constructed in a seamless manner, and is constructed ofmolded ballistic materials to form a solid holster, i.e. without breaksor gaps. There is a further need for a firearm holster that islightweight and comfortable to carry on a user's body while being sturdyand able to withstand harsh conditions.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, a firearm holster includes a plate that isfolded to form a cavity. The cavity is defined by a first sidewall, atrigger sidewall adjacent to the first sidewall, a second sidewalladjacent to the trigger sidewall, a barrel sidewall adjacent to both thefirst and second sidewalls, and a muzzle end wall adjacent to the firstsidewall, the trigger sidewall, the second sidewall and the barrelsidewall. In addition, the firearm holster includes a support wrap thatat least partially surrounds the cavity and is fused to one or more ofthe first sidewall, the barrel sidewall, and the second sidewall.

According to another aspect, a method of forming a firearm holsterincludes folding a plate to form a cavity that is defined by a firstsidewall, a trigger sidewall adjacent to the first sidewall, a secondsidewall adjacent to the trigger sidewall, a barrel sidewall adjacent toboth the first and second sidewalls, and a muzzle end wall. The muzzleend wall is adjacent to the first sidewall, the trigger sidewall, thesecond sidewall and the barrel sidewall. The method also includes atleast partially surrounding the cavity with a support wrap and fusingthe support wrap to one or more of the first sidewall, the barrel sidewall, and the second sidewall.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features of example implementations of the invention will becomeapparent from the description, the claims, and the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a holster according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another side view of a holster according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a manufacturing process of the holster ofFIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are a view illustrating an alternative manufacturingprocess of the holster of FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are exploded views of an alternative embodiment of theholster of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 depicts a cross-section of alternative embodiment of a holsteraccording to the present invention

FIG. 7 depicts a cross-section of a further embodiment of a holsteraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section top view of a further embodiment of a holsteraccording to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section of a further embodiment of a holster accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of theinvention.

FIGS. 11A-11J are a view illustrating a manufacturing process accordingto the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to one or more embodiments of theinvention. While the invention will be described with respect to theseembodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limitedto any particular embodiment. On the contrary, the invention includesalternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may come within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, in the followingdescription, numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the invention. The invention may be practicedwithout some or all of these specific details. In other instances,well-known structures and principles of operation have not beendescribed in detail to avoid obscuring the invention.

A firearm holster 10 according to the present invention is shown inFIG. 1. Firearm 30 is inserted into cavity 18 of holster 10. Holster 10is constructed of solid ballistic material, i.e. without breaks or gaps,of sufficient strength and durability to capture a bullet fired from thefirearm device 30 for which holster 10 is designed. In an embodiment,holster 10 is made from ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene(UHMWPE), for example, Dyneema® or Spectra®. Holster 10 could also bemade from other ballistic materials such as an aramid fiber, forexample, Kevlar®, or from a combination of all of these materials, aswill be explained further below. In addition to ballistic materials, aholster according the present invention may also incorporate metal,carbon fiber, fiberglass, plastic, leather, fabric and other materials.

Holster 10 includes a body sidewall 12, an away sidewall 14, a barrelsidewall 26, a trigger sidewall 24 and a muzzle end wall 16 whichtogether form cavity 18. Cavity 18 encloses firearm 30 when it isinserted into cavity 18. Although sidewalls 12 and 14 have beenidentified as “body side” and “away side,” one of ordinary skill in theart would understand that these roles could be reversed depending, forexample, on where the holster is located. Firearm 30 includes a trigger32, muzzle 34, grip 36 and barrel 38 as would be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art. Although a specific firearm is shown, this ismerely representative. A holster according to the present inventioncould be used with any type of handheld firearm, for example, revolversand pistols. In addition, principles of the invention may be used tofabricate a holster or sheath for a long gun, for example, a rifle or ashotgun.

Body sidewall 12 of holster 10 of FIG. 1 is positioned closest to a userof the holster. Away sidewall 14 is positioned facing away from theuser. The muzzle end wall 16 is positioned between the body sidewall 12and the away sidewall 14. The body side 12, away side 14, barrel side26, trigger side 24 and muzzle end 16 walls are all fixedly attached toeach other as one seamlessly constructed unit to form cavity 18.

Firearm 30 is inserted into the holster 10 such that the muzzle 22 facesmuzzle end wall 16 and grip 36 protrudes from cavity 18. Holster 10 isdesigned so that the firearm trigger 20 is fully contained inside cavity18 when firearm 30 is fully inserted as shown. Holster 10 also includesflanges 20 which are fixedly or removably attached to holster 10.Flanges 20 hold mounting hardware 22 for securing holster 10 to acarrying device (not shown) such as a belt, waistband, vest, chest rigor harness, for example. As pictured, holster 10 and mounting hardware22 are oriented for attaching holster 10 at a waist of a user. Otherlocations may require different orientations and mounting hardware.Also, holster 10 may be secured to many other surfaces, such as in avehicle or to furniture using the appropriate carrying device.

Although a specific design is shown in FIG. 1, one of ordinary skill inthe art would understand that holster 10 could be formed in a variety ofways to accommodate different firearm models or firearms with a varietyof accessories such as flashlights, electronic sights, threaded barrels,muzzle devices, etc.

Another view of holster 10 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. Firearm 30 isinserted into cavity 18 muzzle end first, similarly to FIG. 1 so thatgrip 36 protrudes from cavity 18. FIG. 2 also shows an alternativemounting hardware 28 attached to sidewall 14. Mounting hardware 28 isattached by means of screws 40, although other mechanisms for attachingmounting hardware 28 to holster 10 could be used. Single or multiple (asin FIG. 1) mounting hardware 28 are fixedly or removably attached toholster 10 on either side so that sidewall 14 may correspond to eitherthe away sidewall or the body sidewall 12 of FIG. 1. In an alternativeembodiment of the invention, right and left belt mounting hardware 22 ofFIG. 1 are removably attached to the right and left of the body sideballistic wall 12 of FIG. 1. Mounting hardware 28 is designed tointerface with a belt or with the waistband of the clothing worn by theuser of the invention and is designed to allow the invention to becarried on the external or internal surface of the clothing to which itis attached. In other embodiments of the invention, mounting hardware 28may be designed to interface with a vest or other device worn by theoperator, as well as other surfaces as explained above.

To operate the invention in the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2,the firearm user positions holster 10 such that one or more pieces ofmounting hardware 28 are removably attached to the belt or waistband ofthe user. Firearm 30 is fully inserted into holster 10. The user maylater choose to remove the firearm 30 from holster 10. If at any timeduring insertion or withdrawal of firearm 30, the firearm is discharged,the ballistic material of holster 10 captures the bullet and prevents itfrom leaving the interior of the holster 10.

As explained above, a holster 10 according to the present invention isfabricated from ballistic material such as ultra-high-molecular-weightpolyethylene (UHMWPE), for example, Dyneema® or Spectra®. UHMWPE istypically manufactured as fiber. For personal armor applications, suchas bullet-proof vests, the fibers are generally aligned and bonded intosingle ply sheets and pre-impregnated with a matrix such as a thermosetpolymer, for example, a resin, epoxy, plastic, rubber or siliconmaterial. These sheets are then layered in varying angles so as toprovide similar strength in all directions. The number of plies useddetermines the degree of bullet resistance. To control performance andappearance characteristics of the inventive holster, some of the sheetsused in the bonding process may be made of other material, such as anaramid like Kevlar or other materials such as carbon fiber, fiberglass,or cloth, or a combination of any of these, for example. In anembodiment, one or more sheets of UHMWPE are used, depending on thethickness of each sheet and the caliber of firearm for which the holsteris intended.

Diagrams illustrating a manufacturing process of the inventive holsteris shown in FIGS. 11A-11I. The general shape of a holster includingsidewalls 12 and 14, trigger sidewall 24, barrel sidewall 26 and muzzleend wall 16 as in FIGS. 1 and 2 is depicted in FIG. 11A. One of ordinaryskill in the art would understand that the inventive holster may becustomized to fit the contours and accessories of a particular firearm.

FIG. 11B depicts a first step in the manufacturing process, where a flatpattern 150 is cut from a plurality of sheets of ballistic or acombination of ballistic and non-ballistic material selected as explainabove. In an embodiment, 11 sheets of UHMWPE are used. The sheets areheated and fused to form a plate. In a next step, pattern 150 is foldedalong lines 152 into the holster of FIG. 11A to form the holster of FIG.11A. A form of aluminum or another metal is used to create the holstershape and during the subsequent fusing steps describe below.

Next, one or more support wraps are added to the basic holster as shownin FIGS. 11C-11G. FIG. 11C shows a barrel side support wrap cut from,for example, three sheets of UHMWPE. It is folded along lines 156 andfused along barrel side 26 as shown in FIG. 11G. In a similar way,support wrap 158 is cut and folded along lines 160 to form a support fora trigger guard area and fused in place as shown in FIG. 11G.

Additional support for the holster is provided by horizontal supportwraps 162 of FIG. 11E and 166 of FIG. 11F. These wraps are cut, foldedalong lines 164 and 168 respectively, and fused in place as shown inFIG. 11G.

As an optional step, additional resistance to bullets discharges intothe holster is provided as described in connection with FIGS. 11H-11J.FIG. 11H depicts a top view of the holster of FIG. 11A or 11G. FIG. 11Idepicts detail view B of a corner of the holster, between muzzle endwall 16, barrel sidewall 26 and sidewall 14. It is possible that themanufacturing process of FIGS. 11A-11G may result in a very small holein one or more corners of the holster adjacent to the muzzle end wall16. In this situation, one or more patches 170, shown in FIG. 11J, maybe added to the inside or outside of the holster. Although a specificshape is shown, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand thatany number of sizes and shapes could be used.

A diagram illustrating another manufacturing process of the inventiveholster is shown in FIG. 3. Two half shells 50 and 52 made from aplurality of sheets of ballistic or a combination of ballistic andnon-ballistic material as described above. Half shell 50 includes, forexample, body sidewall 12 and a portion of the adjacent walls 24, 26 and16 of FIG. 1. Complementary half shell 52 includes, for example, awaysidewall 14 and another portion of the adjacent ballistic walls 24, 26and 16 of FIG. 1. Each of half shells 50 and 52 include a portion oftrigger guard 54, as well.

A method a making a holster according to the present invention includesa first step of selecting a plurality of sheets of material to meetperformance objectives as explained above. These sheets arepre-impregnated with resins, polymers or epoxies, for example. Next, theselected sheets are inserted into a heated platen press, for example,and formed into half shells 50 and 52 of FIG. 3. Finally, half shellsare again inserted into a heated platen press, for example, and fusedinto a solid piece. As an alternative, the selected sheets of ballisticor a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic material are fused intoa plate, then formed into half shells 50 and 52 as a separate step.

As depicted, complementary half shell 52 is designed to be slightlysmaller than half shell 50 so that it can be nested into half shell 50.Although FIG. 3 shows complementary half shell 52 as nesting inside halfshell 50, either of them may be smaller than the other. In addition, theportion of barrel sidewall 26 and trigger sidewall 24 in each of halfshells 50 and 52 is designed to have enough width to allow it to beoverlapped when half shells 50 and 52 are nested. After complementaryhalf shell 52 is positioned at the appropriate location inside halfshell 50 to form cavity 18, a subsequent step of the method is a secondheat press operation to fuse the halves together into the solidballistic material holster 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2. Although a general sizeand shape has been depicted in FIG. 3 so as to illustrate amanufacturing technique, one of ordinary skill in the art wouldunderstand that the appearance and contours, for example, of holster ofFIG. 3 could be adjusted to suit a wide varieties of firearms andaccessories. In addition, a holster manufactured according to FIG. 3 mayalso incorporate securing bands as shown in FIG. 11G. Screw, rivets orother reinforcing devices may also be used with holster 10.

An alternative method of manufacturing a holster according to thepresent invention includes the same first step of selection sheets ofballistic or a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic materials.These sheets are heat pressed into shapes corresponding to walls 12, 14,16 24 and 26. Each wall is then epoxied to form holster 10. Reinforcingbands are wrapped around holster 10 and fused into place as described inmore detail below.

Alternative methods of manufacturing a holster according to the presentinvention are represented in FIGS. 4A and 4B. FIG. 4A depicts a gripside cylinder 60 in which a plurality of sheets of ballistic or acombination of ballistic and non-ballistic material are overlapped andheat pressed into a cylinder as described above for FIG. 3. At the sametime, a generally cup-shaped muzzle end wall 64 is formed and fusedusing a heat press operation Finally, muzzle end wall 64 is heat pressedonto cylinder 60. In a variation, cylinder 60 can be formed fromcomplementary halves 66 and 68 as shown in FIG. 4B before muzzle endwall 64 is heat pressed onto cylinder 60. This embodiment is similar tothat of FIG. 3 and may also be used with or without securing bands asshown in FIG. 11G. Screw, rivets or other reinforcing devices may alsobe used with the holster. As above, FIG. 4 illustrates a manufacturingtechnique, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that theappearance and contours, for example, of holster of FIG. 4 could beadjusted to suit a wide variety of firearms and accessories.

Additional features of the invention are shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. Inthis embodiment, trigger guard 54 of FIG. 3 is not integrally formedwith trigger sidewall 24. Instead complementary half shells 50 and 52have an open area in trigger sidewall 24 as shown. Trigger guard 70 ismade from, for example, plastic, metal or another material andincorporates flange 72. Trigger guard 70 may also be made from ballisticand/or non-ballistic material as described above. Flange 72 extends downinto cavity 18 along trigger sidewall 24 and is mounted using, forexample, screws 74 as shown, or epoxy, or other attachment methods.

In a further embodiment, a band 76 of additional ballistic material maybe fused in place around any of the disclosed holsters to provideadditional strength. This option is depicted in FIG. 5B. Although ahorizontal band encircling the holster is shown, a similar band couldalso be used to reinforce the holster vertically by extending along awaysidewall 12, across muzzle end wall 16 then back up the other side.Bands similar to band 76 may also or alternatively be secured aroundtrigger guard 54 or other locations around the holster.

Additionally, any of the disclosed holsters may be covered withprotective materials including Kevlar, leather, carbon fiber, a mix ofKevlar and carbon fiber. They may also be spray coated with a plastic orepoxy spray, dipped in protective material or enclosed in a plasticmaterial for example, a shell.

Further embodiments of the invention are depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.6 depicts a cross-section of a holster according to the presentinvention. In this embodiment, sides 88 and 82 are located closest to auser of a firearm. Sides 84 and 88 enclose the muzzle end of a firearmwhile sides 88 and 90 are facing away from a user. In this embodiment,sides 80, 82, 84 and 88 are made from a combination of materialsincluding ballistic or a combination of ballistic and non-ballisticmaterial as describe above. Sides 90 and 88, however, can either be madefrom the same combination of ballistic or a combination of ballistic andnon-ballistic materials, or from solely non-ballistic materials such asplastic or metal. In this embodiment, a user is protected from a firearmdischarge inside the holster by the bullet being captured or deflectedby sides 84 and 88 away from the user.

FIG. 7 depicts a cross-section of a further alternative embodiment. Inthis embodiment, sides 92 and 94 are made from ballistic material or acombination of ballistic and non-ballistic material and are locatedadjacent to a user of a firearm. Sides 102 and 100 are similar to sides90 and 88 of FIG. 6. Cup 96 is made from a separate piece of ballisticor a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic material and attached tosides 94 and 100 along line 98 by means of screws, rivets, epoxy, etc.In operation, if a firearm is discharged inside the holster, the bulletis captured in cup 96 which may or may not detach from the holsterdepending on the caliber of the bullet and the strength of the ballisticmaterial. In the embodiment, the bullet is converted into a less lethalprojectile.

Top and side views of a further embodiment of the invention are shown inFIG. 8. In the top view, side 110 is made of a combination of ballisticor a combination of ballistic and non-ballistic materials as describedabove. Side 112 may also be made of the same or similar combination ofmaterials, or of metal or plastic. Line 114 in the side view indicatesan area of overlap of lines 110 and 112. Sides 110 and 112 may beattached with rivets, screws, epoxy, etc.

FIG. 9 depicts a cross-sectional top view of an alternative method ofassembling the holster of FIG. 3. In this view, curved side 120 andstraight sides 124 have a matching recessed flange area 126. The flangesare butted against each other, then additional strips of ballisticmaterial 128 and 130 are fused in the recessed area 126 on either sideof the flanges. A side view of strips 128 and 130 is shown at 134. In afurther embodiment, material 128 and 130 is made from a single longstrip 132 that is folded over into recessed area 126.

FIG. 10 depicts a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of theinvention. Sides 136 and 138 are overlapped in area 140 as shown. In thearea of overlap, sides 136 and 138 may be attached by, for example,fusing, screws, rivets or epoxy. All of the walls depicted in FIGS. 9-10are made from ballistic material, a combination of ballistic andnon-ballistic material, or non-ballistic material as explained above.

An advantage of any of the embodiments of FIGS. 6-10 is that, if aholster has been damaged by a firearm discharge, the damaged portion canbe replaced without having to replace the entire holster.

If used and unless otherwise stated, the terms “upper,” “lower,”“front,” “back,” “over,” “under,” and similar such terms are not to beconstrued as limiting the invention to a particular orientation.Instead, these terms are used only on a relative basis.

Numerous alternative implementations of the present invention exist. Forexample, any of the above holsters may also include retention mechanismssuch as straps, inserts, narrow areas for retaining a trigger guard,etc. In addition, a holster according to the present invention may useinserts made of plastic or another material to adapt the holster fordifferent types of firearms. Other materials used for personal armor,such as graphene sheets, may also be used to manufacture a holsteraccording to the present invention. Also, the holster described abovecould be made using additive manufacturing techniques.

The apparatus in one example comprises any (e.g., horizontal, oblique,or vertical) orientation, with the description and figures hereinillustrating one example orientation of the apparatus, for explanatorypurposes.

The steps or operations described herein are just for example. There maybe many variations to these steps or operations without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed ina differing order, or steps may be added, deleted, or modified.

Although example implementations of the invention have been depicted anddescribed in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in therelevant art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, andthe like can be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionand these are therefore considered to be within the scope of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A firearm holster, comprising: a plate that isfolded to form a cavity, wherein the cavity is defined by a firstsidewall, a trigger sidewall adjacent to the first sidewall, a secondsidewall adjacent to the trigger sidewall, a barrel sidewall adjacent toboth the first and second sidewalls, and a muzzle end wall adjacent tothe first sidewall, the trigger sidewall, the second sidewall and thebarrel sidewall; and a support wrap that at least partially surroundsthe cavity and is fused to one or more of the first sidewall, the barrelsidewall, and the second sidewall.
 2. The firearm holster of claim 1,wherein the cavity is free of gaps or openings between the muzzle endwall and any of the sidewalls.
 3. The firearm holster of claim 1,further including a lateral wall extending outward from the triggersidewall and a transverse wall extending upward from the lateral wall,wherein the lateral wall and the transverse wall are adjacent the firstand second sidewalls.
 4. The firearm holster of claim 1, wherein thesupport wrap comprises a first support wrap and the firearm holsterfurther includes a second support wrap that at least partially surroundsand is fused to the trigger sidewall and at least one of the first andsecond sidewalls.
 5. The firearm holster of claim 4, further including athird support wrap that at least partially surrounds and is fused to thefirst support wrap.
 6. The firearm holster of claim 4, wherein at leastone of the first through third support wraps comprises a plurality ofsheets of ballistic and non-ballistic material.
 7. The firearm holsterof claim 1, further including a patch fused to a corner formed by themuzzle end wall, the barrel sidewall and one of the first or the secondsidewalls.
 8. The firearm holster of claim 1, wherein the platecomprises a plurality of sheets of ballistic material.
 9. The firearmholster of claim 8, wherein the plate comprises a sheet of non-ballisticmaterial.
 10. The firearm holster of claim 1, further including a firstthrough third fold lines between the barrel sidewall and the first,second, and muzzle end walls, respectively.
 11. A method of forming afirearm holster, comprising: folding a plate to form a cavity, whereinthe cavity is defined by a first sidewall, a trigger sidewall adjacentto the first sidewall, a second sidewall adjacent to the triggersidewall, a barrel sidewall adjacent to both the first and secondsidewalls, and a muzzle end wall adjacent to the first sidewall, thetrigger sidewall, the second sidewall and the barrel sidewall; at leastpartially surrounding the cavity with a support wrap; and fusing thesupport wrap to one or more of the first sidewall, the barrel side wall,and the second sidewall.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the cavityis free of gaps or openings between the muzzle end wall and any of thesidewalls.
 13. The method of claim 11, further including retaining abullet in the cavity when a firearm is discharged inside the holster.14. The method of claim 11, wherein the support wrap comprises a firstsupport wrap and the method further includes at least partiallysurrounding with and fusing to the trigger sidewall and at least one ofthe first and second sidewall, a second support wrap.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, further including at least partially surrounding with andfusing to the first support wrap, a third support wrap
 16. The method ofclaim 14, further including stacking and fusing to one another aplurality of sheets of ballistic and non-ballistic material to form atleast one of the first through third support wraps.
 17. The method ofclaim 11, further including fusing a patch to a corner formed by themuzzle sidewall, the barrel sidewall and one of the first or the secondsidewalls.
 18. The method of claim 11, further including stacking andfusing a plurality of sheets of ballistic material to form the plate.19. The method of claim 18, further including fusing a sheet ofnon-ballistic material to form the plate.
 20. The method of claim 11,wherein folding the plate includes folding the plate at first throughthird fold lines between the barrel sidewall and the first sidewall, thesecond sidewall, and the muzzle end wall, respectively.